


Launching a Thousand Ships

by nightwalker365



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Colonialism, Fantasy AU, Heteronormativity ruining everything like always, Historical AU, M/M, Mild Aphobia, Mild internalized homophobia?, YGOPridecember2020, kings - Freeform, no beta we die like men, ygopridecember
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27988776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker365/pseuds/nightwalker365
Summary: It’s a blatant symbol of power. The King of a conquered kingdom does not need an elaborate throne to showcase his power. He is the youngest King to have ever united Millenia, the most powerful man in the country—and that throne is proof.Unlike the throne, King Atem is not afraid to adorn himself, there are rings, wristbands, armbands, even a gorgeous set of rings circling the length of his neck.Kaiba lets himself look.Prompts: Throne, Possessive, Letter, Silver
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15
Collections: nightwalker365’s Pridecember fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Interconnected ficlets for Pridecember 2020. Let me know if you want to read more. 
> 
> Reviews and kudos always welcome.

Throne 

Lord of the North, Seto Kaiba arrives late. Priest Set, as usual, glares at the Northern Representative with every drop of hatred in his body. Most of the representatives hardly look up. Lord Kaiba arriving late is hardly new. Before Yugi would have thought it was a deliberate show of respect to the King. Most of the other warlords and priests still do. But Yugi watches the way he walks into the room. The way he ignores the audience, especially the priests glaring and the warlords deliberately focusing on the papers in front of him. It isn’t even that he’s ignoring them, Yugi realizes he doesn’t notice them at all. 

His eyes are completely fixated on the throne. And the hunger there is transparent—obvious to anyone bothering to look. The only one really paying attention is—

Atem. Atem who is looking at Lord Kaiba in that measured way he does when he plays games—or goes to war. 

Priest Set was right when he said that the King should have considered executing Seto Kaiba and allowed the North to refracture and go back to infighting again. It is much less dangerous than trying to control a man like Seto Kaiba who has kept the vast lands of the North under his control despite being decades younger than the long seated warlords. 

Even here seated across Jounouchi and Honda, Yugi has to hope that he hasn’t planned another coup. That today isn’t going to be the day that Lord Kaiba pulls the Northern army he’s been amassing into the capital to kill them all. 

Priest Set had mentioned this the last time they held Council. Lord Kaiba was going to come. He was going to bring war to their doorstep. 

He may have had a point when he said that Atem was just allowing Seto Kaiba too much free reign. 

There is more than one good reason to eliminate the threat Seto Kaiba poses. Yugi wonders how long it will take to convince Atem of this. 

—

Seto arrives late to attract attention, Atem knows this. He has essentially said as much. 

Seto likes that when he comes in Atem does not have to look at anyone else. He could be looking at the reports his advisors have painstakingly written out. The reports, he knows, have to be written with perfect characters unless the scribes wish to lose a finger. He could even be examining the faces of the lords and delegates at the meeting, watching to see if they respond any differently to Seto Kaiba, to anticipate conflicts before they occur.

He even plans it. He will start with the Grand Lord of the East, the one who once called himself “the Unifier” before he lost his best men to Mahad and his team in the Valley of the Kings. The man has the most resources and pride enough to grind against his rule. If it wasn’t for Seto’s vehement defamation of the gods, Atem is sure he would have looked to Kaiba to plan a coup. Atem admits he would have found it funny if he had. 

And then he would turn to the Merchant Lord of the West—his access to ports and trade with the colonies are enough to increase his appetite for more wealth, more trade, more business, _more._ He had been very sure that his young daughter was to become Queen when she first arrived at Court. Atem would admit she was beautiful. But not beautiful enough to incite hunger in him. The rest of the court disagreed, General Jounouchi Katsuya most of all. He’s the one who sweeps her off her feet. Before they can elope, the Merchant Lord gerries her way to be married to a Lord across the sea. Atem has been deeply unkind to him ever since. Over the years, he’s grown irritable, restless, and more likely to result in underhanded methods. Atem is waiting for him to decide on one so he can crush him. 

Then Seto Kaiba arrives, all long wolfskin coat and folded robes in the eat of early summer, with a smirk. He had a similar face to Set’s—no matter how the two of them denied it. But they are so markedly different in what they do with their bodies Atem hardly compares them anymore. 

Seto Kaiba arrives and he is _arresting._ Atem does not look at the Great Lord of the East or the Merchant Lord of the West. He does not notice Yugi’s inquisitive gaze.

By the time he sits, Atem has had to pinch himself twice. 

—

Seto Kaiba makes sure to arrive late. It is not difficult. His castle is the farthest away from the Palace. Not only must he travel through the mountains, they have to go from what Kaiba would consider a pleasant summer to _disgustingly_ hot weather. Kaiba once heard a Northern merchant describe it as if being cooked in human soup. Kaiba found the sentiment more than appropriate. 

Before he leaves his castle in Domino, Mokuba makes sure to point out the foreign merchants from Paradius would be there. Kaiba sends a runner to stop by, buy something small, and report back on their stock. 

The capital is bustling as usual. Kaiba is sure the delegate meetings only increase business. He imagines the idiots that worship the King and his little pantheon of god pay the priests quite handsomely with offerings. The priests sit fat and smug here in the capital. 

When he arrives Seto does not follow the anxious messenger to the meeting room. Instead he takes a detour. 

When they find him, Seto is by the fountain. This time they bring guards with the escort. By the time he arrives at the meeting, they’ve finished updating each other about the conflicts and skirmishes in their region. Perfect. 

The delegates and Lord always sit in a large circle. Some of them try to tuck behind each other. But there is one vantage point designed to see almost all of their faces. Raised above the circle is the throne. 

In each conquered Lord’s home there is sure to be what once was a throne. Even Seto had one. It was likely that none of them are as plain as this one. 

It’s probably made of the same stuff as the Palace walls. Maybe something else to make it more comfortable, but it is so obviously unadorned and likely so much less than the thrones of the men in this room. 

It’s a blatant symbol of power. Power without feathers or cloth or cushions. Power stripped bare and pure. The King of a conquered kingdom does not need an elaborate throne to showcase his power. He is the youngest King to have ever united Millenia, the most powerful man in the country—and that throne is proof. 

They all sit below him in a circle. His heir, Yugi Muto sits at his feet with his wife Anzu. 

When Kaiba fully lets himself look at the King, he is breathless. He is just as exquisite as Kaiba remembers. Unlike the throne, King Atem is not afraid to adorn himself, there are rings, wristbands, armbands, even a gorgeous set of rings circling the length of his neck. 

Kaiba lets himself look. Shockingly, no one assumes correctly _why_ he is looking. It’s one of the few good things about the deep divide between the North and the rest of Millenia. 

The King is wearing that short “not-dress” that Southerners like to wear. While Kaiba found their clothes too revealing, though he couldn’t say, given the heat, it was entirely unwarranted. 

To top it all off the King watches as he walks into the room. His eyes, the same ones he faced across the battlefield that very first time, they never stopped burning. Kaiba has to fight to contain his smirk. 

Kaiba sits. He crosses his arms. He says nothing for the duration of the meeting. 

Admittedly most of the meeting Kaiba is present for concerns about offerings and gods and temples. Kaiba has made it clear he does not and never will believe in their fucking gods. 

Most of the time all the priests of Millenia do is sit on their fat asses and put on pathetic performances they call “rituals.” Kaiba absolutely refuses to make offerings to those pathetic bastards. 

The King hardly says anything. He watches each of the delegates speak. On occasion when it looks as if a fight may break out he raises a hand or sends out a hard look, then the conflict would simmer. 

Every so often he would aim a single, hot look at Kaiba. He burns. 


	2. In the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Staring Seto Kaiba?” he grins “How very inappropriate of you.” 
> 
> “I am not staring.” He takes another long drink. It takes a severe amount of control to keep from making a face. This stuff is terrible. 

Possessive 

It takes them hours before they could speak without an audience. By the time the King finally corners him, Kaiba has retreated to his room with a flagon of beer. 

The King was waiting for him in the dark. Kaiba almost drops the flagon. 

“Sh—“ He silences himself. He really should have expected him to do something like this. For all he put on airs of patience, the King is an impatient man. Perhaps he could take some of the blame for that. 

“Your Majesty,” Kaiba speaks softly. He keeps his eyes open for the King’s long-suffering servant who insists on babysitting the King as if he is a wayward toddler. “It’s so lovely to find you in my bed this evening. I take it your entertainment was not to your satisfaction?” 

Kaiba starts to light the candles around the bed. Even with the strong shadows, the King’s gold flash as he plays with the cork of a glass bottle. Kaiba raises an eyebrow. _More wine?_

The King scoffs. “I have told that fool Lord I will not take any of his dancers to bed a thousand times—“

He cut himself off with an angry sound. “Mahad is busy with them for the evening. I doubt he will find his way here.” 

“Thrown off your babysitter so early in the evening?” Kaiba doesn’t bother to turn around when he starts to pull off his wolfskin coat. He knows he has the King’s complete attention. “Perhaps now that you’ve pacified your subjects you may attend to your most difficult problem.”

The King’s eyes are cutting when Kaiba finally turned around to face him. He stands with his bare feet on Kaiba’s bed. Without his cape and much of his ornaments, someone might mistake him for vulnerable. His eyes are _fire._

“You are not the problem. I knew you were vexing the from start—“ he steps across the bedding, closer—“but _why_ must you test my patience?” 

Kaiba crosses his arms. “You’re naïveté—“

“ _My_ naïveté?” He laughs dry and hollow. “You have never even sailed across the ocean. How can you assume to know they will start a war with us? In what way do you think you know Lord Yuusei more than the one who raised him from poverty to lordship?”

“I don’t _care_ about your precious _Lord Yuusei_ ,” Kaiba snarls. “Your precious _Lord_ doesn’t have the control he thinks over your little colony.” 

King Atem narrows his eyes. “You think he is untrustworthy.” 

“You precious Kingdom might run on the currency of _trust,_ but the rest of the world only runs on _power_.”

“Are you saying something about the way I run the Kingdom?”

“I’m saying _you_ can run a Kingdom on trust. I can promise you your _Lord Yuusei_ is not as competent.” 

The King looks taken aback. Kaiba’s cheeks flush hot. Fuck, he did not mean to say _that._

“I suppose,” he says slowly, “I had not considered that.”

Kaiba scoffs and takes a large swig from the flask of beer. It’s warm. The taste makes him grimace. This is truly the shittiest drink Kaiba is forced to suffer in all the places he’s traveled.

The King laughs at his face. When Kaiba looks at him again, he is sitting back down on the bed. One of his knees are raised up which means his ridiculous open robe is—

“Staring Seto Kaiba?” he grins “How very inappropriate of you.” 

“I am _not staring.”_ He takes another long drink. It takes a severe amount of control to keep from making a face. This stuff is terrible. 

He does not look at the King when he walks over from the bed. He hates that stupid look on his face when he knows he can see through Kaiba’s facade. 

A hand, very inappropriately, finds its way to his lower back. Kaiba keeps himself very still. 

“Still,” he says, “I cannot find out you are amassing an army from my priests.” 

Fuck those assholes. 

“You knew.” 

“I know, but I had no proof.” 

“You are King—“

“That does not mean I can take advantage—“

Kaiba cuts him off with an angry noise. How often is he going to throw that line out? 

“You are perhaps the only fool who feels that way.” Kaiba finally lets himself turn around. 

For a man in control of the entire continent, King Atem is short as hell. If Gozaburo was still alive this man would be the living antithesis of everything he believed in. Atem was not physical. He could not physically overpower Kaiba, but he rules them all. Even the most vicious of warlords—the ones who used to drink with Gozabura when he was still alive, all of them under this small man’s heel. 

The King reaches up to touch the skin of his cheek. He has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from jerking away. He traces a fingertip from his cheekbone to his jaw, finds his chin then keeps going. 

Kaiba would say he’s gotten used to this. That would be a lie. The King does not have a large hand, but he knows his reach. 

_Your Majesty,_ he does not whisper. Kaiba holds his ground. 

“You think I need an army so badly?”

“Yes.”

“Then so be it.” 

Kaiba blinks, stops focusing on the hand working its way down his body. 

“You… you’re not going to order me to back down?” 

Kaiba steps back to look at Atem. For the first time he lets himself focus on those eyes. How many nights had he dreamt of his eyes? Pure and divine, they look through him, they see him. 

“Order you?” Atem looks at him with a smile. “You’re not my subject.” 

“I—“ Kaiba crosses his arms. “You defeated me.” 

Atem laughs. “I also married you.” 

Kaiba fingers clench tight. “My people are the only ones who honor marriage between men.” 

That curious hand is back this time on his solar plexus. He is greedy, pressing at the line of his robes, looking for the seam. 

“Are you saying that you didn’t expect me to honor our union?”

 _Union,_ Kaiba shivers. 

“Did you honor it?” His question is a dark whisper. 

“Yes.” 

“Then why,” he steps closer. “Did you think I would not?” 

Kaiba does not say anything. Those eyes though, they look to piece together the truth from the shadows on his face. 

“Do you really think that I only married you as a way to keep control of you? As if you are the sort of man satisfied with that?”

“As if,” he continues. “ _I_ would be satisfied with a partner like that?” 

Kaiba swallows. “It would not be difficult to take up one of the many offers you have, and simply… pretend with me.” 

He can’t look at him. “It is smart to bind your opponent by a law that means nothing to you. There’s no other good reason you would have allowed us to keep our culture the same if you weren’t planning on exploiting it.” 

That hand, devilish and cunning, has undone the ties of his robe and found his inner robe. The thin cloth hardly keeping him from the heat. Kaiba’s breath stutters.

In that brief that hand sneaks in. 

“So _shy,”_ he whispers, so close. “With your skin. Why don’t you show me what I’ve been missing all these months.” 

Kaiba back hits the dresser, but Atem is chasing—“Wha—“

He keeps moving, cornering Kaiba effortlessly. It shouldn’t be so stupidly attractive. He was a King. He is a leader of the largest area of Millenia. He has to think of—

“ _How long are you going to keep what’s mine from me?”_

His words ring in Kaiba’s room for a moment. His eyes burn into Kaiba’s, seeing him, knowing him. With that hand still hot on his bare skin, Kaiba is so, so ready. 

He snarls and pushes the King— _your husband—_ back onto the bed.

“Take it off,” is all he snarls before he finishes untying all those ties. By the time he pulls everything off those eyes are on him again. 

All he has on now is gold. Gold and that tanned skin of the South. Nothing like the ghost white, scar ridden body of Kaiba’s. 

He doesn’t cover himself up when he stomps over to the bed, not even with those eyes all over him. 

Kaiba climbs on top of him, pushing his already reclining body back. Atem keeps the motion going and pulls him down for a kiss. 

Kaiba hates when Atem gets close enough to do this. Atem often pulls him too close. To keep Kaiba in range of that dangerous mouth, coupled with those wandering hands it’s a dangerous combination that makes Kaiba want to drown. He can’t—He’s not allowed to—

Kaiba grasps Atem’s wrists in each hand and pushes them onto the bed. It takes almost no time for Kaiba to work his way back into that mouth and _attack._

He takes pitiful enjoyment from the moans Atem makes at his advances. He knows how this is supposed to go. Perhaps better than Atem for whom men lying with each other is taboo at best and a crime at worst. Men in the North knew how to take advantage of the natural bonds, affection, and superhuman strength that came out of closeness between men. How those bonds win battles, and ultimately war—

In the bars and over campfires, men enjoy speaking about sex. Men enjoy getting competition about it. It hardly takes more than half hidden positions and long silence for Seto to overhear what he needs to. He doubts Atem has such access to that depraved creativity. 

He kisses his way down that hot skin. Atem’s hands try to fight against Kaiba’s, but Kaiba knows how to keep his prisoners. His legs and surprisingly well built thighs struggle and knock against Kaiba’s when he starts to use his teeth on Atem’s nipples. 

“You—“ he throws his head back. “—cheat.”

“Cheat?” Kaiba looks up at the—at _his husband._ “What rules am I breaking?” 

Atem’s head jerks back and forth, his hands keep struggling against Kaiba’s. 

“C’mon _your majesty,”_ Kaiba smirks. “What rules am I breaking?” 

Kaiba keeps moving downward. It doesn’t take more that a few hot breaths to get Atem to start biting his lip. When Kaiba starts sucking on the skin of his thighs. For the moment he focuses only on making large dark marks that edge into dangerous territory. They both knew that if the rest of their people found out about their union it would cause a different, less controllable kind of chaos. It was best that, at least for now, they kept this hidden away. That doesn’t mean that Kaiba doesn’t want Atem to wear his marks—to think of him all the months he’s away. 

“Don’t—don’t call me that when we’re like this.” Atem huffs out stuttering breaths. 

Kaiba gets closer to where Atem’s tension and blood have gathered, those breaths start to come faster. 

“Hmm?” Kaiba noses at the juncture of his thigh. “What shall I call you like this? Husband? Darling?” 

He leans up close to his ear. _“Baby?”_

Atem shivers and closes his eyes. Kaiba savors the rare sight of this man overcome with pleasure. 

“ _Seto,”_ his voice is a heavy whisper. “Seto, I _want—“_

He cuts himself off, but those thighs have wrapped tight around Kaiba’s waist. He’s writhing hard against him. 

“Take it.” He rubs his cheek against Kaiba. “Take what you want. Take—take—“

Kaiba snarls, hating how easily Atem stokes his want. For this man, it takes almost nothing to set him on fire. 

There’s a tugging that pulls his attention away from the fire between them. One of Atem’s hands is reaching for the bottle he’d brought with him. He’d thought it was wine but—it’s oil.

“Someone came prepared.” 

“Prepared?” He is still panting. “I can summon an entire army and still be unprepared for you, Seto Kaiba.” 

He uncorks the bottle. Something about the sound imprints into his memory.

He shifts up onto his knees and finds himself enjoying the view. The glass bottle was colored, likely one of the more luxurious types. Kaiba can’t quite help but notice the smell is the same as the stuff Pegasus likes to sell. _Bringing even that monster under your heel, huh?_

He shouldn’t like that so much. He should rage. How many years has been planning his revenge against that man?

 _But you,_ he looks down on his knees. _You brought him right under your heel, didn’t you?_

Kaiba’s gaze burns into Atem’s. He returns that gaze right back. With wet fingers he reaches between Kaiba’s legs. 

Kaiba knows this is when he’s supposed to put on a show. This is the moment when he’s supposed to perform, when he’s supposed to show how badly he wants—

His eyes widen dramatically when he feels that pressure against— _shit._

“ _Atem,”_ he whispers. His head bows. His eyes are wide and unseeing as Atem pushes gently in slow, tight circles inside Kaiba’s body. 

Kaiba’s hands slowly involuntary curl into fists. Atem goes slowly, much slower than the first time, which gives Kaiba time to hold back the _noises._ Those pathetic noises Atem heard too much of already. 

Kaiba bites his lips, the insides of his cheek, let’s his nails press into his palms. Kaiba knows pain, he’s grown up like most orphans of the North, with pain as his constant companion. Atem taught him, on their wedding night, that pleasure was an entirely different weapon. Pain grounded him. Pleasure made him float away. Pleasure took him out of his mind. 

His fingers are gentle, but unyielding. He never lets up, never stops working Kaiba open even when he gasps and tries to jerk away. He’s slow and doesn’t push Kaiba past what he can physically take. 

Kaiba’s hands curl around his shoulders as he struggles for purchase. 

Kaiba has to focus on the fingers pushing, pressing, rubbing against his most sensitive skin. He forgets, he forgets about—

“Gods, I love it when you sound like that.” Kaiba makes a high pitched noise. Fuck, he _forgot._ Atem doesn’t stop. 

Kaiba leans down to try to muffle himself in the bedding. That’s when Atem starts to rub small, fierce, little circles inside him. Kaiba cries out like a little bitch in the blankets. 

_This is where you belong,_ that dark voice that never leaves him whispers, _on your knees with your ass in the air._

Kaiba purses his lips and grits his teeth. He can suddenly feel his knees braced on the bed, leaning over Atem like a whorish blanket. 

“No,” a hand in his hair pulls his face up. “Those noises are _mine.”_

Kaiba gasps, “ _Atem.”_

“You get to take what’s _yours,”_ Kaiba’s mind is reeling. “But you cannot withhold what is _mine_ from me.” 

All the breath in his body leaves him at those words. There must be more bitchy little sounds because the King releases his hair and goes back to his ministrations. 

It seems that hardly a moment passes before those fingers leave him. There is both relief and emptiness when they go. 

“Atem,” Kaiba is still gasping, _like a bitch._ “I—“

Atem is leaning back to reach for the bottle. Kaiba is caught for a moment by the beauty of his body. In the North, everyone believes that scars are proof of a warrior, of toughness. Most scars are honored that way. In the South, scars are the mark of labor, of poverty. That shows on Atem’s clean, unblemished skin. Kaiba’s hands fist in the bedding. Atm is looking at him again. 

He leans close. “I like it when you look.” 

He untangles Kaiba’s hands from the blankets. “You can touch too.” 

His gaze is expectant. For all his research, Kaiba finds himself at a loss. 

“I am yours after all.” Atem pulls his hand to his thighs, where the marks Kaiba made earlier are. Hunger, perhaps inappropriate hunger, rushes through him. 

_Mine._

Yes, that sounds right. 

Kaiba’s hands found their way to the thickest part of Atem’s thighs. It feels like something trembles in his chest. 

“Mine,” he whispers. It doesn’t sound like a question, but it feels like one. 

“Yes,” Atem’s voice is thick with something Kaiba won’t name. “ _Yes.”_

They kiss. Kaiba climbs onto him. This time it’s slower. Kaiba still feels as if Atem has set him on fire. It’s a slow burning, but a burning notheless. 

Perhaps, it’s the weight. Perhaps it’s a calculated move on his part, but Atem falls back onto the bed. Kaiba does not let up. He positions himself to have better leverage, holding Atem down and enjoying his half-hearted struggle. 

He reaches for the oil this time, noting when Atem shivers at the sound of the cork opening. 

_He likes this,_ Kaiba covers his hands with it. _He likes me._

 _Take it,_ he had said. 

Kaiba covers his sensitive skin with that oil. Enjoying _Atem’s_ little sounds when he rubs little circles into the head. 

_“Seto,”_ he writhes, “let me—let me have—“

Kaiba kisses him.

Then he gives them both what they want.

—

It takes them both a while to come down. Atem has his head turned so Kaiba can feel the heat of his breath on his neck. 

“All the gods,” he pants. “Seto _Kaiba.”_

Kaiba grunts. Orgasms are similar to blows to the solar plexus in that speaking after took effort. 

One of Atem’s hands curls loosely by his face. The backs of his fingers rub gently against his cheek. 

“You never fail to surprise me.” 

Kaiba finds the energy to snort. He ends up turning his face. Exhaustion from the journey, from the stupid delegate’s meeting, and those eyes on him most of the day rushes into him all at once. 

Those fingers brush against the line of his nose. 

“I am exploiting you,” he says lowly. Kaiba feels the need to listen to what Atem will say next but exhaustion is like a wet fur blanket pushing him deeper into the bed. “Without you the North would still be a land locked in civil war. There is no other ruler of the North.” 

Kaiba snorts. “Don’t act like you couldn’t take the North if you didn’t want to _your Majesty.”_

“I told you not to call me that when we’re like this.” Atem rolls into him, tucking his smaller body into Kaiba’s side. “And no, I couldn’t. At most I could quiet the louder warlords. But I could never unite the North the way you have.”

Kaiba keeps his eyes closed as he turns. “You could if you wanted to.” 

“No.” Atem adjusts himself, pressing even closer. “The North is yours. You understand them and they acknowledge you.” 

He presses a kiss to Kaiba’s shoulder. “It’s one of the reasons I like you so much.” 

The candles are going out. The dark here is warm and so quiet. Kaiba sleeps. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very, very late. I am also behind. Hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for it.
> 
> I’m sure there are other errors, but I can’t stand to look at this anymore.


	3. DURS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The idea of writing to Seto Kaiba is significantly easier to imagine than to do. Atem has never been one for letters. Even as a child when he was sent away to be educated, his father often complained of his lack of communication. Just penning his name sends shivers of the forbidden down his back. 
> 
> So he starts over.
> 
> And over.
> 
> And over. 
> 
> Until he throws, now ruined paper into the fire. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very late contribution to Pridecember. I am so behind, I fully expect I won’t be able to finish all the prompts. I will however do what I can to finish what I can. 
> 
> DURS comes from Urban Dictionary. If you’d like you can look it up.

Letter 

The ending of the delegate’s meeting is the beginning of incredible boredom for Atem. 

It’s not as if being King is necessarily easy—but it’s not _challenging_ either. This is perhaps Atem’s biggest challenge, he is utterly undone by boredom. It is the singular weakness he has had since childhood. The same one that has driven him out of the Palace and into the gambling halls while simultaneously giving Mahad and Siamon grey hairs (though Siamon admittedly complains more of baldness these days). 

Managing a kingdom is admittedly less of a challenge than taking on a powerful opponent. While some leaders would have tried to take the North by lending the warlords fighting Seto Kaiba troops or resources, Atem wanted to wait. He wanted a fully powered Seto Kaiba to duel. 

These days it was truly the ability to duel that decides a country’s strength. A King who can consistently summon the gods was more of a danger than thousands of men. The ability to summon a dragon meant the death of hundreds of warriors, if not thousands. This too meant the priests and summoners of each religion are some of the most important men in the country. 

It’s because of Atem’s ability to summon the gods that the Priests of the capital feel the need to insert themselves into everything so Atem does not feel that his success is in spite of their efforts. 

This, strangely enough, drives Mahad to madness. Although, that is just Set perhaps. Atem thinks that if the two of them were not so obsessed with marrying women they would be with each other. “Hate fucking” Kaiba called it once. 

Mahad and Set’s fights have one lovely boon, in that it allows Atem that one brief moment to escape. It is rather unfortunate the two of them both hate and fear Seto Kaiba enough that they never let their guard down when he is at the Palace. Truly Atem’s whole life would be bliss if this were the case. 

He sneaks away to one of the highest towers in the Palace. It is called the Silent Space and is a place meant solely for the worship of Ra. It is usually a temple that Atem is only allowed in, and one that no one expects to find him. As a child, he had hated the space. Now, perhaps appropriately, is the only place he can find peace. 

Mana, of course, is the one to find him. These days, Mana is always the one who knows him best. 

“You miss him don’t you?” She whispers even though they are alone. Ra demands that kind of respect, always. 

“All the time.”

“Do you—do you write to him or anything like that?” 

Atem blinks at her. “Write? What would that do other than reveal everything?” 

Mana bites her lip. “You know, I—I could maybe send them.” 

“Mana?” Atem’s eyes are wide. 

She hugs herself. “I mean—I just can’t imagine, being separated from—well for that long.” 

Atem looks away. The ache in him that he never lets out in front of other wells up like tears. “It—It’s easier when there’s something to look forward to.” 

He turns to look at her once he composes herself. “Are you sure? I know how much you dislike lying to Mahad.” 

“There are some things,” she says, “worth lying for.”

—

The idea of writing to Seto Kaiba is significantly easier to imagine than to do. Atem has never been one for letters. Even as a child when he was sent away to be educated, his father often complained of his lack of communication. Just penning his _name_ sends shivers of the forbidden down his back. 

So he starts over.

And over.

And over. 

Until he throws, now ruined paper into the fire. 

He does this again and again, until the delegation from Paradius shows up. It’s less of a delegation than a threat of an oncoming war. Paradius’ King Dartz is another competent summoner of the gods. His gods are cruel and unusually large. 

It is also unfortunate that he sends Lord Valon, Mai Kujaku’s husband to Millenia. After sending his daughter to Lord Valon, the Merchant Lord of the West found that he was granted larger funds and greater access to trade with them. It is perhaps unfortunate that Atem then taxes the shit out of him for his hubris. 

Lord Valon came to court with the intention of insulting General Jounouchi, likely because his wife’s affections are clearly reserved for another man. Atem could only imagine how enraged he would be if Seto Kaiba ever showed interest or _affection_ for another man. It would surely be enough for bloodshed. 

General Jounouchi is not exactly known for his patient temperament, so it fell to Yuugi and Anzu, on occasion even Lieutenant Honda to hold him back. 

The feast is a calculated attempt to knock the two of them out with a combination of food and severely strong alcohol. With imported goods from the East and a meat laden table, the two of them ended up in the kind of daze that tame even men like Priest Set. 

Atem too drinks and eats too much. When he sits to write again to his husband he finds that all of the feelings of embarrassment and dignity have flown out the window. Imagining Seto Kaiba with another man is certainly powerful enough to give him nightmares. 

_My Dearest,_ he starts. Before he can think on it he pushes himself to continue. _I cannot put into words how much I long for you—_

When he wakes up the next day and reads what he had written his face turns completely red. 

He does not burn it.

—

A Happy Lover sits on Kaiba’s bed in his _private quarters_ and he wants to slaughter it. If it weren’t for the way it chirped happily and crawled over to him with a letter, _he would have._

Once he reads the letter, Kaiba feels that perhaps he is having a nightmare. Or _worse,_ perhaps someone had found out about—

But on the envelope of the letter—that had been sealed—his mind helpfully reminds him, there was a note, _from the witness to your happy union!—Mana_

Kaiba snorts. Something unravels a little in his chest. He leaves the letter, tucks it in the corner of his desk always left dusty. 

It isn’t until the middle of the night that he considers it _could be code._ He pours over the note by candlelight, considering the duels they’ve had and the—

Nothing. 

It was just a stupid love letter.

From Happy Lover— _stupid._

It is days, weeks even before Kaiba realizes he has been staring at the letter while he dresses, while he undresses, while he considers his next moves. He realizes there is a part of his brain _forming a response._

This is a trick, he tells himself. He just wants to humiliate you into a response. He just wants—

It isn’t until he returns from the Underhills, enraged and frustrated that he sits to make a response. 

_This is the worst letter I have ever received._ It was true. Even Gozaburo’s curt orders never resulted in this kind of spiraling. _I cannot believe you waste Millenia’s resources with this._

_How you have successfully put the entire continent under your heel, I do not know. If you expect such responses from me, you must wait an eternity._

_I will see you on the eve of the fifth moon._

He does not sign his name. 

—

When Maha Vailo appears in his quarters, Atem is surprised. He expected—well, nothing if he’s being truly honest. Aside from Kaiba telling him he burned the note the next time they met, he assumed his letter would lead to nothing. 

Instead he has a _response._

He has no expectations. But the letter absolutely drags a laugh from his exhausted body. They were not preparing for war just yet, but discussing it made Atem’s head _ache_ with impatience for a decision. 

_The eve of the fifth moon_ makes him shiver with anticipation. That festival was always the sort of event where even his most dedicated attendants took time away from their King. It is one of the few nights he has _promised_ to enter his quarters early and stay there. No one needed to know that he might have company. 

He takes his time with his response. He wants to make sure Kaiba knows all of the reasons he might want to anticipate the visit. All of the ways he might expect to be worshipped. 

—

The reply is all vulgar _filth._ Kaiba’s face burns while he reads the words on the page. He might have to actually burn this one. Unlike the last one, this was, this was—and how would he even reply to—

“Oh _Blue Eyes,_ what are you doing?” 

—

Maha Vailo comes again and Atem fully expects an embarrassed, possibly enraged reply. Kaiba is—well, he is not crass unless it is to provoke. 

He does not expect several pages of pure drawings. Very accurate drawings of—of different body parts. Nothing too inappropriate but there are hands and thighs and oh, the length of an entire leg from behind. It isn’t until that picture than he realizes Kaiba has drawn accurate representations of his _own body._

“Oh _all the gods—“_ Atem’s breath is stuck in his throat. How dare Kaiba send this in the morning when he has no choice but to spend the day thinking of him and his long beautiful—

“You are destroying me, _Seto Kaiba.”_

—

There is no reply before the Festival of the fifth moon. Finding his way into the _King’s private chambers_ was well—it was a journey Kaiba thought he wouldn’t make unless he was actually the King of Millenia. 

His quarters are almost completely dark when he finds his way inside. Even the guards around the Palace are pretending they aren’t drunk or covering, badly, for each other. The parade through the center of town was certainly more attention grabbing than Kaiba had expected. 

Even with the candles, the light hardly illuminated anything. It was the perfect scenario to pin him with attempted murder of the King. It would hardly take anything more than a shout to call the guards outside and Kaiba would likely face execution before his people even heard—

Hands reach down, grab his ass, and pull him into a warm body, _his husband._

“ _You,”_ a dark voice whispers right in his ears, makes him shiver, “ _must draw this for me next time.”_

Kaiba has to gather his scattered thoughts before he realizes. “My—my _ass?”_

He lets out a soft, but incredulous laugh. “How dirty, your Majesty.” 

“ _Stop,”_ he breathes, “calling me that.” 

“You didn’t tell me what I should call you instead.” 

One hand runs up to his lower back. 

“Atem,” he says all warm breath and kind eyes. “You should call me Atem.” 


	4. Hope in Dark Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are all manner of women that have been paraded in front of Atem. Men looking to secure a seat within Millenia. Looking to put their children in his bed. 
> 
> Seto Kaiba is the first to incite carnal desire in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is sad. I’m sorry. 
> 
> There’s not too much Kaiba here, but he’ll come back! 
> 
> Merry Christmas everyone!

Silver

Unlike other newly wedded couples, Atem rarely has the chance to indulge in the carnal pleasure of married life. Atem is the sort of man who seeks out challenges. He loves games, and gods, and puzzles. The carnal aspect of his Kingship is something he rarely indulges in. In the beginning it was the stretching of a new part of his life, the understand that helps him piece together what it means when men talk about their women and their ‘conquests.’ 

He quickly realizes he has no interest in the warmth of another body in his bed. And even less in the act of fucking. This is perhaps a lapse in character. Men who are strong, men with records and success in battle all have reputations of the sexual kind. Even the Kings of old, his father included, all preferred their beds warm with another body than empty. It is only Atem who is broken this way. 

His friends and council members all make their own excuses, spin their own stories of why. The priests claim that Atem is loyal only to the gods, that it is his tribute and why the gods are so steadfastly loyal to him. The generals mutter about pickiness and his condescending attitude towards women. Women like Anzu and even Mai Kujaku when she was in Millenia, thought him a romantic and claimed that he was waiting for the “right one.” Yuugi just watches and never says anything. 

There are all manner of women that have been paraded in front of Atem. Men looking to secure a seat within Millenia. Looking to put their children in his bed. 

Seto Kaiba is the first to incite carnal desire in him. The first to make him  _ want  _ beyond even his own comprehension for it. Atem dreams of him at night. He thinks of him during council meetings. Atem thinks of him, both as a man and as someone he wants in his bed. It is rather jarring when he remembers the physical pull Kaiba can pull from inside him. Some days, when Atem cannot remember why or how he feels such things he will pull out Kaiba’s letters. 

His drawings of late, still never of his face, have been their own kind of flame. Atem wonders if he remembers the way he burns when they lay together just right. 

He covers his face when he is alone. Atem wonders and wonders one thousand things he can never change. Perhaps this is the fate of all Kings, or—

_ Perhaps this is the fate of all people.  _

—

As a publicly single man, people of all kinds made it their business to sell him “romance.” The merchant caravans always came to Millenia with their own ideas of what he would like. Atem does not know if it is because their own lords tell strange tales of him or because they do not do not understand what Kings like at all. It was a mild consolation that the court found them so interesting. 

This caravan specialized in clothing, particularly women’s clothing. They were visibly disheartened when they found out Atem did not have a Queen. 

“No Queen?” The merchant who spoke their language asked again. His hands rubbed together, sweat dripped down his brow. 

The tittering laughter and whispers of the court exasperate the situation. It isn’t as if Atem is oblivious to the rumors about him. His lack of appetite is perhaps more noteworthy than his predecessors prodegious ones. 

“No—no almost Queen?” His accent, Atem noticed, was getting much, much worse. 

The flapping of fans and the flick of jeweled fingers only increased with their mirth. 

“No,” Atem didn’t smother his indulgent smile. Another man might have been flustered. Atem is unmoved.

His eyes bulge and he turns to the merchants behind him. There are some raised voices, exclamations of disbelief, and visible panic. 

When Atem turns to look at Princess Anzu, she turns bright red. He inclines his head in a question and waits until she nods hesitantly. 

“However,” he spreads out an arm to present her, “if you don’t mind a Princess we happen to have a lovely one right here.” 

The merchants look relieved enough to cry. 

The Princess and her handmaidens are escorted to another room where the merchants may take measurements. 

Atem wants very desperately to crack his neck. 

—

Between the merchant caravans coming to sell things and the preparations for the festival, Atem hardly has a free moment to think. He goes from one desolately boring meeting to another, either resolving conflicts or approving preparations. He doesn’t honestly think twice about the clothing merchants and Princess Anzu. 

“The Celtic Festival this year is a huge hit,” Lord Otogi says from behind him. 

Atem does not turn from his view of the capital. As a favor to Mahad and the King’s Guard he won’t go anywhere for the evening. It give the guard a chance to enjoy a moment of what Atem cannot. 

“Almost as big as the Great Moon Festival, last month.” He keeps walking until he’s leaning on the railing next to him. “The people must be happy at the occasion.” 

Atem half smiles. There is more than one reason to pay tribute to the Celtic gods, none of them are particularly beneficial to the people. 

Lord Otogi is one of the few merchants that has earned his trust. He rarely approaches Atem unless he has reason to believe something will go wrong. Or  _ has  _ gone wrong.

He stays quiet for a long moment. The sounds between them are only from the people drinking and dancing below. Atem eyes him carefully. Lord Otogi has always been difficult to read. Even as a child, he was the sort of person who was good at hiding his true feelings. 

“About Princess Anzu,” he starts. Atem has to keep himself to contain his surprise. “You should be more subtle about your feelings for her. Especially in front of the court.” 

Atem has no idea  _ what  _ face he is supposed to make. 

“My… my feelings,” he says, though it should be a question. “What...what feelings am I supposed to have exactly?” 

Lord Otogi smiles at him the way one might smile at a child. “There’s no point in playing dumb with me now,” he turns away, “for the most part there’s no damage done. Everyone knows, but well, in a way that’s better than before. At least the maidens of the court can romanticize you now instead of gossiping—“

He sees the look on Atem’s face and looks strangely flustered. “Anyway! It’s better for everyone that you’re in love with a woman you can’t have than—than you pretending you’re some kind of monk.” 

_ In love with a woman— _ the phrase rings in Atem’s head like the Grande Bell announcing the arrival of a god. 

“The only thing we have to worry about now, is the rumors about you stealing Yuugi’s wife. We don’t want to weaken your heir before you—“ Lord Otogi’s earrings jingle in the wind. “I’d prefer it if your heir was firmly in control. If anything happened to you the infighting would destroy everything you’ve worked for.” 

Atem has to struggle to find his voice. “Thank you for the advice, Lord Otogi.”

He grins at Atem. “Still not going to be your advisor though, sorry Your Majesty.” 

Atem sighs, admittedly grateful to be back in familiar territory. “It would be a big help if you did.”

He turns to watch Lord Otogi walk away. He smiles the way does when he's got particularly good information. Atem frowns, not quite sure what he’s given away. 

—

The days pass. Atem does find Yuugi in a darker corner, worshiping the Silent Magician, and waits until he is done. The bags under Yuugi’s eyes have been getting darker. Atem has a feeling that Yuugi is upset that the court thinks Atem is in love with his wife. Yuugi has always been more sensitive to the feelings of others. Unfortunately, their opinions mattered as well. 

Yuugi spends a long time with the Silent Magician. The corridor Atem waits in is cold and dark enough that he summons Kuriboh to keep him company. 

Kuriboh is always excellent company. There are many who don’t pray to Kuriboh as they see him a pest. Kuriboh however, is one of the best companions in the dark. Atem has been summoning him solely for that purpose for years. 

Kuriboh instantly knows what Atem needs. Whether in a dark corridor or in the final moves of a duel with Kaiba, Kuriboh never lets him down. Atem strokes his fur and waits. 

When Yuugi finally comes out, he looks as though he’s been crying. His eyes red and his face blotchy. 

“Yuugi!” 

Yuugi turns, color leaks from his face when he sees Atem. 

“I—“ he finally sees. “I’ve made you upset.” 

“You could’ve—“ then he bites his lips and stops himself. 

Atem can see his shoulders curl and his fingers clench into fists. He’s never seen Yuugi so upset with him.

“You could’ve just told me… you liked her.” 

“Yuugi?” The shadows curl around him. “What, what are you talking about?” 

“If you had—if you had just told me, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have married her.” 

_ This was about Anzu.  _

Atem reaches out a hand. _You can’t tell him._ _Only women marry men._

_ Only women— _

His hand drops. “Why is it,” he says, “that you and everyone else think I’m in love with Anzu?” 

Yuugi looks up at him. Atem meets his gaze. “Is it because I called her lovely?” 

Yuugi looks away. His teeth clench together. “It’s because you said—you said—“

Kuriboh squirms a little in his arms. Atem doesn’t let go. 

“I said?” 

“The feast, on the fifth moon, you were drunk, and you said that if you had a type it would be brown hair and blue eyes.” 

His breath catches in his throat.  He looks up at the ceiling. The dark there always lingers. Then looks back at Yuugi. 

“Anzu has brown hair and blue eyes?”

Yuugi’s face is a picture of perfect shock until he bursts into laughter. “You—I can’t believe—“

His laughter rings out, his hands buried in Atem’s clothes drag them both to the floor. 

When it is quiet, Atem says, “Yuugi. I would never take your wife from you.” 

“But… she might be, happier,” he says. “With you.” 

“No,” Atem disagrees. “She wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t be happier with her.” 

“But—“

“Yuugi,” he says. “My happiness lives elsewhere. And your’s—“

He leans down, pulls Yuugi closer. “It lives with her.” 

“Atem?” 

“Do you believe me?” 

Yuugi’s eyes do that magical thing where they look right through him. He looks for the lie where there isn’t one. 

“Yes,” he finally says. “I believe you.” 

Later, he will write to Kaiba. Loneliness will clog his throat. Atem knows the value of being King. The power of it. But that feeling, it comes and goes like the tide. 

He may not be unbroken like the Kings before him, but Atem would remain true. He would pass his kingdom to the man he chose. He would marry only once.

Just the once.

That is perhaps the only silver lining. 


End file.
